A Path to Remember
by bananasandcream
Summary: The inner turmoil that Frodo carries is heaving his heart and he wishes to lift some of the burden from his shoulders. Rated M for later chapters. Contains FxS, AxL, and possibly MxP.


**Summary: **The inner turmoil that Frodo carries is heaving his heart and he wishes to lift some of the burden from his shoulders.

**Disclaimer: **The characters used in this Fan Fiction belong to Tolkien's fantastic book series of Lord of the Rings. They are not mine.

**WARNINGS**: Fluff/Shounen-Ai/Slash, Rated R for other Chapters. Contains an assortment of pairings including: Frodo/Sam, Aragorn/Legolas, and possible Pippin/Merry.

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He looked upon his hands with hatred, staring at the scarring that climbing endless hills and mountainsides had done to them. His heart ached and his head throbbed with an intense pain that could have only come from hours of relentless crying. He wept in silence, turned away from the other Hobbit and the creature known as Gollum that slept uncomfortably upon the rocky formation. His once pure, bright cerulean irises had grown dull and menacing, even the very skin upon his body had become cold and hinted with a pale grey tinge. He felt as if he was dying inside and every joint in his body creaked and moaned in exhaustion. No matter how much he had wanted to sleep, it would not come upon him peacefully. No matter how much he ate, it would not satisfy his hunger. Frodo Baggins felt sick from the torment of his quest and the Ring was beginning to eat away his very soul.

Weakly, he looked upon the golden trinket that hung loosely around his neck. Frodo took in a sharp breath and felt his heart sink more into his chest at just the sight of it. He wanted to just rank it from his neck and throw it into the night and forget about it, but even that wouldn't stop the pain that was tearing through him. He knew that his emotional and even some of his physical scars wouldn't heal in his lifetime. The halfling would grow old, senile and desire the powerful Ring more than anything, anyway. Sometimes he wished that his life would just end, so he wouldn't have to put up with such a heavy burden. But, he couldn't be selfish, all of Middle Earth had been depending on him to save everything that was beautiful in this world. He couldn't just give up when he and the other members of the Fellowship had gone so far with each other. Merry... Pippin. He had hoped they were in good hands, and then there was the four elders--Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir and Gimli.

"Are you alright, Mister Frodo?" A soft voice suddenly broke his train of thought, his eyes widening and quickly shifting towards the gaze that had been looking upon him. The ring bearer soon smiled very slightly, acknowledging that it had been Samwise that called out to him. Everything felt so much better with his Hobbit companion with him and he knew as well as anyone that he wouldn't of gotten this far without him. And there was something about Sam that just pushed all of his pessimism into the farthest corner of his mind--making everything so much easier to bare.

"I'm alright, Sam." His response was weak and his voice cracked, but he still managed to keep his smile. Frodo could feel his eyes water as Sam looked at him with such a concerned expression. It wasn't a look full of pity, nor was it apologetic, but it was soft and his eyebrows furrowed in a calm wave of sorrow. The other male knew what it was like to travel on such a difficult, if not impossible, quest, but Sam also knew that he would never be able to share or take away the pain that Frodo had felt. "Really, it's nothing." He assured, brightening his smile a little as he gradually turned away from him. As Frodo lost sight of his dear friend, he had also lost his slightly blissful features.

"No. It's something, it's always something." Sam muttered, his voice carrying over the darkness and thick fog that had surrounded them. "Look at you, you're torn and sad. You're always sad," he begun, but then silenced himself as he nibbled lightly on his lower lip. The dark-haired Hobbit then stirred again, churning his body so he was now facing the other male--too weak to sit himself up. "If it weren't for that there creature, we could have found a safer route into Mordor, and you wouldn't be so exhausted all of the time, or hungry..." He trailed off, but stopped as his eyes met Frodo's again.

"Don't blame this on Gollum. I'm sorry for putting yet another burden on our shoulders, but we cannot afford to get lost with the little amount of time that there is left." He sighed, rolling the Ring within his index and thumb fingers. Samwise looked at the item he fidgeted with and immediately scowled, glaring. Upon seeing this, Frodo hid it within his shirt and away from both of their views. "Please understand that he is all we can trust. We have no one-"

"We have each other," Sam quickly interrupted, crawling towards the other Hobbit, dragging his cloak with him. "And that's all we need, isn't it? I know I'm not much of a guide and I'm certainly not the brightest lad, but I can't trust this beast with our burden." He gently draped the long cloth over Frodo for more warmth. In unison, they took their gaze upon Gollum, whom had slept a good thirty feet away from them, mumbling and breathing heavily in his sleep. Sam then looked at Frodo with that same concerned expression, the one that both warmed and melted his heart.

"Dear Sam, you're all I could ever ask for. You are what reminds me of home, or the smell of the grass and foliage. You are what keeps me straight, honing my mind as we continue," he took Sam's hand and placed it near his heart, "My body is starting to deteriorate as time goes by, we have no choice. We must learn to trust this foreign creature and embrace his ways. He knows the way into Mordor better than anyone, for he has had the experience. A bad experience." Frodo paused as the other wiped away a few tears that leaked from his eyelids, "There is no other way, not unless we plan on being killed or taken captive by the evil that haunts our lands." He squeezed Sam's hand gently, whimpering, "We're not entrusting him with our burden. He's only trying to help us." The blonde blinked slowly, inhaling a deep breath as he sat beside him, quiet and still.

"How long has it been since I've seen a true smile on your face, Mister Frodo?" Sam's voice squeaked, "How long has it been since I've seen you happy and cheerful?" He huffed out a small breath, lidding his eyes tightly, "I still dream about Bilbo's party in the Shire together and how beautiful you were, inside and out. And how Pip and Merry got themselves into trouble and even Gandalf's arrival." By that time, Sam had been sobbing, his head hung and choked with tears. "I wanted us to live our lives together, watch each other grow old and tell stories to each other's children." Frodo suddenly felt a bit stronger, feeling responsible for bringing these tears. He curled his arm around Sam's broad shoulders and was embraced.

"We will, Samwise, we will." Frodo gasped silently as he was pulled to the other's chest, both of their arms wound with each other's. It seemed like such a fantasy to be so happy again. He couldn't ever remember how his dear uncle looked on that faithful evening, or how everyone was having such a great time. But he remember it was then that the Ring revealed itself, and Bilbo had given it to him and Gandalf took him on his way, away from the Shire. Away from his home... and his happiness. Frodo's felt his heart within his throat, beating slowly, but strongly. The warmth Sam's body generated was soothing and he relaxed into the contact that they had made. There was a certain passion within the silence that was passed and neither of them wished to break it. Frodo clung to the other male, gripping at the fabric at his shirt collar, bringing his face up to Sam's neck. "You're all I need; everything." He sighed against his skin, causing a slight shudder from the other Hobbit. "Just don't leave me."

"I couldn't. I wouldn't... ever!" Sam exclaimed as he held Frodo within his lap, "I sorry, I didn't mean to put upon such pain at a time like this. I'm just so bloody confused with what's going on lately that it's put my head in a rut." The blonde let go a series of very faint, unusual chuckles, "I just need you to be okay." Samwise attempted to smile, brushing a hand across Frodo's brow, "You're burn'in up, Mister Frodo. Would you like some water? Though I don't know if it'll help much. Tea would be better, but we're fresh out of that. Or perhaps something to eat? Since you're not much fancying sleep, 'cause I think we have plenty of-" He was suddenly silenced by the most stunning thing. His lips had been sealed, literally, with the pair of another. Frodo had stopped his rambling with a soft, weak kiss.

Sam wasn't entirely sure of what to do, so as he observed that his eyes were closed, he assumed that it was best that he did the same. He was still tense by the contact, but hadn't broken it in the least. It felt good, it felt... right. He was picturing himself in a grassy meadow, the wind playing with their clothes and hair as they kissed in the warm sunlight. He could almost hear children in the background, or the smell of the Pub. He wanted to stay there for eternity, with Frodo, but everything began to grow dull again as the dark-haired Hobbit withdrew himself and hid in the folds of his clothing. Sam blinked his eyes open, his pupils dilating as if they had actually looked up into that imaginary sun. "Mister... Frodo?" He spoke with such an uncertainty in his voice; such question. But the other male hadn't answered, only shook his head lightly without meeting gazes or even tilting his head upwards. The embrace remained, or at least it seemed that it was growing tighter.

"I cannot bare the thought of you leaving me. I'm empty as it is... you keep my shattered heart and torn body sewn together." Frodo finally managed to speak, burying his head further up against Sam's clothing.

"I'm here and I'll stay here with you, no matter what." Question still lingered within his voice about the kiss he was given earlier, but he though that Frodo thought of it more as a friendly gesture than anything intimate. Sam was embarrassed to think of it as anything more than that, but it was how he felt about it. He wished he could pressed his lips against Frodo's once more to feel that sensation that went through his mind--just to see if he could touch that grass. And the idea of kissing his dearest companion caused color to rush into his cheeks. He didn't think of the other Hobbit that way, did he? His body was beginning to take a rush of its own, shivering gently as he kept imagining this.

"You're warm, also." Frodo spoke softly as Sam snapped from his thoughts. "Are you getting ill?" Obviously he couldn't see the blush that covered his face and ears--no one could in such dim light, which he was grateful for. Gently, he placed Frodo back onto his spot amongst the rock, nestling him into his cloak as Sam curled up beside him and closed his eyes.

"I'm alright, Mister Frodo." He smiled, "Really, it's nothing."

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**AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:**

Meh, I decided to end the chapter there, I thought it was a decent cliffhanger. -snicker- And it's nearly four o'clock in the morning, so grammar is beginning to become vague in my tiny brain. The next chapter will come sometime during this week, probably involving Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Yes, yes, there will be yaoi with them, also. Please review and thanks for reading: D


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